BMW: no regrets about aggressive approach

Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica struggled to get a good balance on the F1.08 in early testing, leaving them unable to challenge the times of the leading Ferrari and McLaren teams so far.

Despite the state of affairs, technical director Willy Rampf is adamant the team have done the right thing is being aggressive with the new car's design.

"This approach is the only option if you want to close the gap to the front-runners," he told the official Formula One website. "You don't get to the top just by being conservative.

"The benchmark in Formula One is on a level that forces you to take calculated risks. And that's exactly what we did. For us as a team it's a new experience to work on such a level and we are going through a learning process which will make us even more competitive."

With Heidfeld saying last week that he believed BMW were getting to the bottom of their issues, Rampf is optimistic the team will overcome their early problems.

"We have thoroughly analysed all the data from the first tests and we identified several areas where we can improve," he said. "It's not a single part; it's the interaction of the different areas that we need to look at.

"There is no doubt that the F1.08 is considerably quicker that the F1.07, but it is more difficult to exploit its full potential at any given time and condition. We still need a better understanding of the car, and we are learning every day. However, I have no doubt that we are getting there."